YELLOWKNIFE (February 3, 2014) – Residents of Tulita, Norman Wells and Yellowknife will soon get a glimpse of life in the North in 1957 as Dr. Tom Andrews, Territorial Archaeologist at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, screens Tie-cho-ka: Quelques images du Grand Nord in the three communities.

“This is an exciting opportunity for residents to witness the traditional ways of life in the Sahtu and mining heritage in Yellowknife,” says Minister of Education, Culture and Employment Jackson Lafferty. “This is a wonderful lead-in to Heritage Week in February and Aboriginal Languages Month in March, as we celebrate the importance of promoting and preserving our cultures, languages and traditions.”

The film was shot in 1957 by French anthropologist Jean Michéa and documents his travel to Yellowknife, Norman Wells and eventually to the Keele River in the mountains with the Shúhtagot’ine. The remarkable mountain footage covers more than half of the 25 minute silent film and highlights several Shúhtagot’ine families’ traditional lifestyles.

Approached by elders in the Sahtu to find the footage, Dr. Andrews spent two decades searching for Mr. Michéa. In December 2013, Dr. Andrews managed to connect with the filmmaker, now 95 years old and living in Paris, through a network of contacts and acquire a copy of the film. Dr. Andrews’ dedication in finding the footage is a tribute to his commitment to the preservation of Northern history and archaeology.

Screenings are scheduled for:

Tulita – February 3^rd, 7:30pm, Chief Albert Wright School
Norman Wells – February 5^th, 7:00pm, Norman Wells Historical Centre
Yellowknife – February 19^th, 7:00pm, Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre

For more information  contact:

Ashley Green
Public Affairs Officer
Education, Culture and Employment
Phone: (867) 920-3059
Email: ashley_green@gov.nt.ca